Pressing member.



M. FUR

PRESS I APPLICATION m8.

FREDERICK M. FURBER, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW" JERSEY.

PRESSING MEMBER.

L3WL598.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr, 15, 11919.

Application filed July 18, 1918. Serial No. 245,472.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK M. FURBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Revere, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pressing Members; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in sole pressing machines and more particularly to the pressing members employed in connection with such machines. In connection with certain types of sole pressing machines, and more particularly what are known as sole laying machines, it is customary to employ a flexible pressing member for approximately shaping the outsole to a lasted boot or shoe; and it is one object of the present invention to increase the efliciency of the pressing member through certain improvements in the construction.

With this object in view one feature of I the invention contemplates the provision of a flexible pad with a supporting member for the pad containing a loose mass of granular material and a base for the supporting member constructed and arranged to provide an unstable support for the granular material to facilitate the flow of the granular material when pressure is applied to the pad. In the simplest and most efiicient form of the invention which has yet been devised the supporting member containing the granular material rests upon a rigid base having a supporting face which slopes inwardly and downwardly from the outside edges.-

Still further features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section in elevation of the improved pressing member; Fig. 2 represents an elevation of the supporting bag removed and Fig. 4 is a detail illustratinga second modification in which the bag containing the granular material is waterproofed.

The invention as illustrated is conveniently embodied in a pressing member of the general type disclosed in the patent to Davenport No. 942,133, December 7, 1909, This particular pressing member is intended for use in connection with the well known form of machine for laying outsoles upon boots and shoes.

As shown, the pressing member comprises essentially a metallic box 10 containing a supporting bag 11 filled with granular material, indicated at 12, a rigid base 14 for the bag 11, and a flexible pressing pad 15 which rests upon the top of the bag. The pad 15 may be of the usual construction having a pressing surface 16 formed of leather or similar material and shaped to approximate the desired shape of the outsole. The body of the pad may be composed of sponge rubber in orderthat it may readily yield to variations in pressure throughout different portions of the pad and transmit these variations in pressure to the supporting member 11. This variation in pressure throughout of the granular material, 12 in a direction to equalize the pressure throughout all portions of the pad. This enables the pressing pad 'to exert a substantially uniform pressure upon all portions of the shoe sole even though the desired shape of the sole as determined by the last may vary materially from the contour of the pressing face of the ad. p In order that the granular material shall perform its full function it is essential to provide means for facilitating the flow of the material to a new position each time that a sole of different contour is engaged and shaped, It has been found that this flow of granular materiaLto equalize the pressure is greatly facilitated by supporting the material upon an unstable foundatlon in such a manner that a downward pressu e upon the mass of material at one point greater than that at another point tends to shift the material in a plane substantially at right angles'to the direction of application of the pressure. In the form of the invention disclosed in the drawings, which works of the base, leaving a narrow flat ledge. at

shape in cross section.

each end. With this construction the supporting bag 11 lies within the recessed portion of the base and when a downward pressure is applied the granular materia1, instead of being crushed or remaining in the same position, immediately shifts to a point of lesser pressure and almost instantly equalizes the pressure throughout all portions of the mass.

The supporting member 11 conveniently comprises a fabric bag about two-thirds filled with rice, sand or material of a similar nature, and having filler blocks 21 secured in the opposite ends. Each of these filler blocks is rectangular in shape and is secured to the end of the bag by a clamping band 22 and threaded fastenings 23. These filler blocks serve an extremely important function as they support the opposite ends of the bag at .the proper height and cause the bag to retain substantially the desired Without the filler blocks it is extremely difiicult, if not impossible, to retain the proper shape of the bag and secure the requisite pressure upon the extreme ends of the pad. In order to replenish the supply of granular material whenever desired, one of the filler blocks 21 is provided with a plug 24 threaded therein, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The bag may be readily removed from the box 10 for replenishment of the granular material and the base 14 may be also removed and re placed by a base of different form if so desired.

In the type of machine in connection with which this pressing member is more particularly employed the sole is in temper when shaped and the moisture which is squeezed out of the sole under pressure is diverted from the interior of the box 10 by an apron 25 which may be formed integral with the pad 15 and is of suflicient length 'to project overthe edges of the pad box 10,'effectually preventing the entrance of moisture into the box or the supporting ba 11.-

Another construction for preventing the moisture from gaining'access to the granular material is that illustrated. in Fig. 4, in

eoaaae which the supporting bag 11 is rendered impermeable by treating it with a waterproof solution or rubber coating, as shown.

'VVhile it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, it will be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential except so far as specified in the claims, and may be changed or modified without departing from the broader features of the invention.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A pad for sole laying machines having, in combination, a flexible pressing pad, a supporting member containing granular material, and a base for the supporting member constructed and arranged'to provide an unstable support for the granular material when pressure is applied to the pad.

2. A sole pressing member having, in combination, a flexible pad, a supporting bag containing granular material, and a base upon,which the bag rests constructed and arranged to provide an unstable support for-the granular material and facilitate the flow of the material in a direction substantially at right angles to the direction of application of the pressure.

3. A sole pressing member having, in combination, a flexible pressing pad, a support- 5. A sole pressing member having, in com-' bination, an inclosing box, a rigid base Supported within the box, a bag containing granular material removably received within the box and supported upon the base, and

a rubber pressing pad having a face conforming approximately. to the contour of ghe shoe bottom and supported upon the 6. A sole pressing member having, in combination, a ad box, a bag containing granular materia received within the box, a rigid filler block of rectangular shape secured in each end of the bag, and; a pressing pad supported upon the bag and having a face con ormlng generally to the desired contour of the shoe bottom.

7. A sole pressing member having, in combmation, a pad box, a bag containing granular material received within/the box, a filler block of rectangular shape secured in each 8. A sole pressing member having, in combination, a pad box, a bag containing granubination, a pad box, arigid baseblockreceived lar material received Withinthe box, a flexiwithin the box and having a curved sup- 10 ble pressing pad supported upon the bag, porting face, a bag containing granular maand an apron secured to the edges of the pad terial resting upon the curved face of the 5 and extending over the sides of the box to block and received Within the box, and a prevent the entrance of moisture to the inflexible pressing pad resting upon the upper terior of the box. surface of the ba 9. A sole pressing member having, in com- FRE%E RIOK FUR'BER. 

